BBPA, ALMR welcome mayor of London’s pledge to support pubs

The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) and the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR) have welcomed the mayor of London’s announcement to support pubs in London.

The mayor Sadiq Khan has pledged to halt the decline of the number of pubs in London after he released new figures, which show 1,220 pubs have closed in the capital in the last 15 years, as part of the mayor’s Cultural Infrastructure Plan.

Khan said: “The Great British Pub is at the heart of the capital’s culture. From traditional workingmen’s clubs to cutting-edge micro-breweries, London’s locals are as diverse and eclectic as the people who frequent them.”

“That’s why I’m shocked at the rate of closure highlighted by these statistics, and why we have partnered with CAMRA to ensure we can track the number of pubs open in the capital and redouble our efforts to stem the rate of closures.”

Since 2001, two London boroughs, Barking and Dagenham and Newham, reported a loss of over half of their pubs, 56% and 52%, respectively. Hackney was the only borough that did not see an overall loss, with an increase of 3%.

In response, Kate Nicholls, ALMR chief executive, said: “The ALMR has been liaising with the mayor’s office and it is great to see many of the issues that we have raised being carefully considered, particularly the damage caused by increasing rates bills, and barriers to growth in the late-night sector.”

As part of his pledge, Kahn will work closely with the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) to undertake a national review. London’s Night Tsar Amy Lamé, appointed by Kahn in November 2016 has also launched ‘Culture and the night time economy’, which contains guidance on how boroughs can use the London Plan to protect pubs from closure.

BBPA chief executive Brigid Simmonds also welcomed the pledge from the Mayor of London. She said: “Support for the ‘agent of change’ principle - putting the onus on developers when it comes to addressing any issues caused by new residential development next to pubs - is hugely welcome.

“I also hope that the Mayor and the Night Tsar work to discourage London boroughs from imposing Late Night Levies in their area. This is a burdensome new tax on small local businesses.”

The mayor’s Cultural Infrastructure Plan aims to ensure culture in London is planned in a similar way to other services such as housing and transport.